Election fever is under way in Hyndburn with the candidates announced for next month’s general and local elections.

Hyndburn MP Graham Jones is bidding to defend his Labour seat with four other parties submitting candidates.

Kevin Horkin is representing the Conservative Party, Alison Firth for the Liberal Democrats, Janet Brown for UKIP and Kerry Gormley for the Green Party.

Voters will go to the polling booths on Thursday, May 7 between 7am and 10pm, with the result expected to be announced by 4am the next day.

Twelve seats are also up for grabs at Hyndburn council in the local elections with Labour, the Conservatives and UKIP fielding candidates in every ward.

Labour controls the council with 23 seats, with the Tories on eight, UKIP on two and the Independents on two.

Labour has the biggest margin to lose with seven of their seats being contested.

The Green Party is fielding candidates in five of the 12 seats, however there are no Liberal Democrats standing.

Former Mayor and Labour councillor Colette McCormack is aiming to regain her seat on the council by contesting Conservative councillor Judith Addison for the Immanuel seat in Oswaldtwistle.

Also standing is Mark Taylor for UKIP and Simon Woods for the Green Party.

In Huncoat, Nick Whittaker, who lost his Conservative seat last year, will run for the party again. Also standing is Eamonn Higgins for Labour, David Daly for the Green Party and Janet Brown for UKIP.

The Overton ward in Great Harwood is set to be hotly contested with current Labour councillor Gareth Molineux defending his seat. Ian Robinson, who lost his Independent seat on the council last year, is running for UKIP along with Patrick McGinley for the Conservatives and Joan West for the Green Party.

The elections could also see the wives of three current councillors join the council.

In Barnfield ward, Jean Hurn, the wife of Baxenden’s Conservative Party councillor Terry Hurn, will aim to beat current Labour councillor June Harrison and fellow candidate Walter Brown of UKIP.

In Church, Loraine Cox, the wife of deputy council leader Paul Cox, will stand for Labour and is up against Marion Raynor for the Conservatives and Dayle Taylor for UKIP.

In Clayton-le-Moors, Melissa Fisher, the wife of councillor Chris Fisher, will also stand for Labour and will fight UKIPs Liam Clark and Conservative’s Stephen Brierley for the seat.

The local elections will also be held on May 7 with the results expected by the afternoon of Friday, May 8.